Chapter 288: Strategy

"Fuzhou? Do you think we should attack it now?" In the former Guard Commander's office at Jinzhou City, Chen Xin was presiding over a military council. Those attending included Zhu Guobin, Dai Zhenggang, Zheng Sanhu, Liu Pojun, Zhou Shifa, and others, along with Song Wenxian, who had just rushed over from Lushun. He was also permitted to observe this time. In the future he would be in charge of the Foreign Affairs Department and would frequently deal with the Dongjiang Garrison. Chen Xin intended to let him sit in on a few military councils to understand the situation in Liaodong.

After the battle of Jinzhou, they had halted their offensive, only sending out roving cavalry to harass the areas along Fuzhou and Hongzuibao, observing the Later Jin troops' reactions.

The casualties for the Wendeng Camp this time were mainly among the cavalry. The cavalry battalion had over seventy men killed in action, and more than twenty severely wounded who could no longer continue service. The roving cavalry from various units had over thirty killed in total, and more than ten severely wounded who would be discharged. Wendeng's small cavalry establishment had lost nearly thirty percent, along with over one hundred twenty horses.

But the gains were equally substantial. Starting from the Dengzhou battle, the Wendeng Camp had captured over a thousand rebel horses, most of which were mixed-breed horses, with only over two hundred usable as warhorses. At Lushun, they captured seventy-six mixed-breed horses. In the Jinzhou battle, they took three hundred fifty heads of Later Jin true barbarians, seventy Mongol heads, captured seven true barbarians, twenty Mongols, and nearly three hundred bondservants. They seized two hundred sixty warhorses, over a hundred mixed-breed horses, nearly a thousand head of cattle and sheep, as well as a modest amount of silver and grain.

Their initial campaign in Liaodong had been victorious, but the Later Jin troops had shown no major reaction. Only the Jianzhou bandits at Fuzhou had sent out several dozen mounted scouts to reconnoiter. The two sides had a few minor engagements, with victories and losses on both sides. The various units garrisoning Jinzhou and Lushun had high morale and began demanding an attack on Fuzhou to further expand their gains. Today's meeting was to discuss this matter.

Zhu Guobin, after listening, spoke first: "Though the Jianzhou bandits are barbarians, they are all seasoned in war. We might think of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao, but the three garrisons of Jinzhou, Fuzhou, and Gaizhou are a wilderness, far from being places the enemy must rescue. Huang Taiji is not that foolish. He has besieged the city for half a year; I fear he will not leave until he has killed Zu Dashou."

Chen Xin could not help but smile: "Still, I rather hope the Plain White Banner at Fuzhou will come attack Jinzhou, and teach that young Beile a lesson. How is it that Manggūltai has such rotten luck, always running right into my gun barrel?"

Dai Zhenggang frowned and said: "If we do not attack Fuzhou, I fear the Jianzhou Chieftain will not withdraw his troops from Dalinghe. Then our objective of attacking Jinzhou to pin down southern Liaodong will not be achieved."

Chen Xin glanced at Fuzhou on the map. It was over a hundred li from Jinzhou, not too far. The special operations team and roving cavalry were already operating within Fuzhou's territory and had sent back some intelligence on Fuzhou, but it was still very vague. They only estimated that the number of Jianzhou bandits at Fuzhou was around seven hundred, with about three hundred true barbarian fighting men.

And north of Fuzhou was a blank. To Chen Xin, it was an unknown land shrouded in the fog of war. He did not know whether Huang Taiji had withdrawn his army, nor whether Zu Dashou had surrendered. In the vast region north of Fuzhou, there might be a powerful Jianzhou cavalry force hidden, waiting for the Wendeng Camp's infantry to move into the outer lines.

Like all leaders, Chen Xin did not reveal his own views first, lest any oversight affect his sense of authority. He turned to Liu Pojun and asked: "What does Pojun think?"

Liu Pojun had just returned from a raid on Hongzuibao. Hongzuibao had only a few dozen Later Jin soldiers and a small number of bondservants. Upon learning that Jinzhou had been taken, they had fled in a flash. Liu Pojun pursued along the way and attacked two groups of Mongols who had fallen behind, capturing quite a few cattle and sheep.

Liu Pojun's raid had succeeded, and both his confidence and prestige had recovered considerably. Although he could not be promoted immediately, Chen Xin still regarded him as a trusted confidant. The knot in his heart had been untied, and Liu Pojun's demeanor had swept away the dejection of previous days. Hearing Chen Xin's words, he replied: "This subordinate believes Fuzhou should not be attacked. First, our army is building watchtowers near Jinzhou and assuming a defensive posture. This military intelligence must have already been relayed to the Jianzhou Chieftain. If he still does not lift the siege at Dalinghe, then Fuzhou is also insufficient to draw the Jianzhou forces away from Dalinghe, because Fuzhou lies deep inland, and even if taken, it cannot be held. Second, attacking Fuzhou makes it easy to be besieged by the Jianzhou bandits. Judging from the Jinzhou battle, our roving cavalry does not hold the upper hand and cannot stop enemy scouts. A large army setting out from Jinzhou would be discovered shortly after departure."

Dai Zhenggang and Zhu Guobin both listened attentively. Zhu Guobin had been greatly disappointed in Liu Pojun during the Dengzhou battle, but Liu Pojun's analysis at this moment was very coherent, and Zhu Guobin did not let his preconceptions lead him to think Liu Pojun was speaking nonsense.

Liu Pojun had returned to his former state when presiding over operational meetings. His tone sonorous and forceful, he continued: "Fuzhou is about two hundred li from Gaizhou, all under the jurisdiction of the Plain White Banner, so there is no concern about inconvenient troop movements. By the time our army reaches the walls of Fuzhou in two days, nearby Jianzhou Plain White Banner reinforcements would already be at least within fifty li at the post station. With them pinning us down, our army would have to detach a portion of our forces to guard against them and could not assault the city with full strength. If we calculate our infantry camp sending two thousand men, plus five hundred auxiliary troops from Lushun, the total force would be no more than two thousand five hundred. If the Jianzhou bandits at Fuzhou hold out and refuse to come out, with roving cavalry pinning us from the outside, two thousand men would not be enough to take Fuzhou within a few days. Our camp's small cannons are ineffective in sieges; we could only resort to scaling the walls or digging to collapse them. Fuzhou, with Mongol troops and bondservants, has around seven hundred men. It cannot be taken hastily. Once the siege drags past three days, that would be enough time for the Jianzhou forces at Dalinghe to come to the rescue."

Dai Zhenggang was slightly taken aback and asked in return: "How does Advisor Liu conclude they could arrive in five or six days? Can the Jianzhou bandits march that fast? During the Jisi campaign, they advanced no more than twenty or thirty li per day."

"That was when they were operating within our Great Ming territory, on the outer lines, needing to scatter in all directions to plunder goods and grain, and they carried large numbers of bondservants, with captured civilians also slowing their pace." Liu Pojun pointed to the location of Dalinghe. "Fuzhou is about five hundred li from both Dalinghe and Shenyang. Judging from the Later Jin's operations attacking Korea and Shenmi Island in the seventh year of Tianqi, with supply available along the route, the Jianzhou bandits' marching speed is about a hundred li per day. If the Jianzhou Chieftain dispatches three to five thousand cavalry, we would instead be very likely to be besieged by them."

Dai Zhenggang stood up and pointed at the map to the strait between Changsheng Island and the Fuzhou coast. "Retreat does not necessarily have to go by land. Niangniang Temple is fifty li from Fuzhou. This place can anchor five-hundred-dan ships and offers shelter from wind and waves. At present, the entire naval camp is concentrated here. If a large Jianzhou army is detected, the infantry camp can move south and embark at Niangniang Temple, without having to return to Jinzhou by land. The Jianzhou bandits would have no choice but to gaze at the sea and sigh."

Liu Pojun also walked to the map and asked: "Crossing a river invites attack at mid-crossing; embarking on ships follows the same principle. Niangniang Temple has no docks; everything must be transferred by small boats, which takes a very long time. If the Jianzhou bandits pursue with cavalry, how would our force of over two thousand transfer and embark? Once only a thousand or fewer men remain, how could they withstand the full enemy pursuit? Those few cannons on our ships cannot stop a large force of cavalry."

Dai Zhenggang was momentarily at a loss for words. In the past, they had trained for transporting men and horses. Landing in the face of the enemy was manageable: the first troops ashore formed a formation to hold, and reinforcements continued to land behind them; there was always hope. Retreating in the face of the enemy was different. The troops left until last would easily be entangled by the enemy. At that point, the few cannons on the ships would be useless, and the final troops could be surrounded and annihilated.

He had no choice but to turn to Zhu Guobin and ask: "Fifty li can be covered in half a day. The cavalry should be able to provide cover."

Zhu Guobin shook his head. "I only have three hundred cavalry left. If the Jianzhou bandits come with several thousand, no cavalry formation will be of any use. You infantry can embark and leave, but we cavalry cannot slowly transfer by small boats. We would have to return to Jinzhou by land. If we are talking about retreat, the cavalry would have to leave first."

Dai Zhenggang and Zheng Sanhu, the two infantry company commanders, exchanged glances, somewhat helpless. Infantry had always been the main troop type of Wendeng, with brilliant battle achievements over the five years since the army was established. Previously, they had basically not considered cavalry cover, and relying solely on infantry had never seemed problematic. After landing in Liaodong and facing the Jianzhou bandits, who possessed large numbers of cavalry, the deficiency of having only infantry became apparent.

Dai Zhenggang and the other were quite eager to attack Fuzhou, also to gain more capital in the upcoming army expansion. Chen Xin understood their motives. Now, using the mouths of Zhu Guobin and Liu Pojun, he had worn down the expectations of Dai Zhenggang and the other, and it had also helped Chen Xin clarify his own thinking.

From the very beginning, he had never intended to truly attack Fuzhou. Along the route from Fuzhou to Haizhou, there were Jianzhou strongholds everywhere. Jianzhou post riders could change horses along the way and relay news to Dalinghe in at most a day and a half. Fuzhou appeared to have only a few hundred men, but along the coast north of Fuzhou, there were also the Wushizhai post station, Xiongyue post, Yulinpu, and Gaizhou, all garrisoned by Jianzhou troops, all under the jurisdiction of the Plain White Banner. Although there were not many at each location, they were all cavalry, with weapons and horses self-provided. Operating on interior lines, they could essentially move at a moment's notice. That meant that as soon as the Wendeng Camp appeared near Fuzhou, the Jianzhou bandits could, in a very short time, assemble a cavalry force of several hundred men. And the weakest part of the Wendeng Camp was precisely its roving cavalry. With this cavalry force pinning them down, Fuzhou would not be easy to take.

He had come to southern Liaodong merely under the pretext of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao. Seizing Lushun was more about gaining a reason not to be redeployed. He did not want to go to Dalinghe, and Huang Taiji likewise did not want to come to the barren, harsh lands of southern Liaodong. If he himself went to Fuzhou, he would be giving Huang Taiji a reason to come to southern Liaodong. And due to the enormous intelligence gap of operating on exterior lines, Chen Xin was essentially guessing the movements of the Later Jin army in a state of complete blindness, without any initiative whatsoever. His small cavalry force had shown a bit of prowess, but compared to the Later Jin's massive cavalry base, it was still pitifully fragile.

Therefore, Chen Xin would not let Dai Zhenggang and the others attack Fuzhou. But he also could not negate their vigorous offensive spirit, much less drag in the messy intrigues of the imperial court. After composing his wording in his mind, he had Dai Zhenggang and the others return to their seats, and Chen Xin himself walked to the front of the map.

He used his hand to draw a circle around the Liaodong area. As he began to speak, like most leaders, he did not start directly with Fuzhou, in order to appear to have a commanding, strategic vision.

"Before the seventh year of Tianqi, the Later Jin was surrounded by southern Liaodong, western Liaodong, the Chahar, and Korea. Under the old chieftain, they campaigned east and west but never eliminated any one side. The Dongjiang Garrison and the Chahar advanced and retreated in turn, confining the Later Jin's operational range to the vicinity of Liaodong. Each of their raids was limited in gain, and the entire Liaodong region was extremely impoverished, which in turn created a massive strategic disadvantage for the Later Jin."

Once this commanding overview was delivered, everyone listened attentively, waiting for what would follow.

"But when the new Jianzhou Chieftain, Huang Taiji, succeeded to power, he swiftly crushed the Dongjiang Garrison and Korea, relieving the pressure on the eastern front. By the second year of Chongzhen, the criminal Grand Coordinator had arbitrarily killed Marshal Mao, and Dongjiang nearly disintegrated. Although it still held the various islands of the Liao Sea and Lushun, it only retained the strength for self-preservation. In the first year of Chongzhen, the Jianzhou Chieftain allied with the Khorchin, Khalkha, and Kharachin tribes to jointly attack the Chahar. Lindan Khan was forced to continuously migrate westward, removing all surrounding pressure on the Later Jin, leaving them to face only western Liaodong on one front. This was how the Later Jin, using their tactical advantage in field battles, gained a strategic advantage. Thereafter, the Jianzhou bandits had no worries in their rear, which led to the Jisi incursion campaign."

The Jisi campaign was a battle everyone present had participated in. The changes in the situation had been discussed with them by Chen Xin in previous analysis meetings, so they were all very familiar with it.

Chen Xin continued: "After the Jisi campaign, the Jianzhou Chieftain obtained the desperately needed population and wealth, gaining the capital to absorb more wild Jurchen and Mongol scattered tribes. In addition, he gathered a large number of small Mongol tribes. The country's resources were temporarily abundant, and they had large numbers of bondservants to till the land. They gained an even greater strategic advantage in Liaodong. This strategic advantage was that they now possessed the capacity for sustained mobilization. The Later Jin was thus able to execute prolonged siege tactics at Dalinghe. This is the tactical advantage the Later Jin gained from their strategic advantage."

Chen Xin had many of his own habitual terms, but these men had been with him for a long time, and many of these terms had become familiar, even becoming common vocabulary within the Wendeng Camp. This was also the first time they had heard Chen Xin analyze the overall war situation at Dalinghe in such detail. They all listened very intently, and even Song Wenxian found it quite interesting.

Chen Xin tapped the location of Dalinghe. "The various Provincial Governors and Grand Coordinators fear the imperial court holding them accountable for losing cities and territory, so they are compelled to rescue besieged cities. This means throwing in large numbers of reinforcements again. Using the advantage in field battles, they besiege defending forces in isolated cities one by one, then use long trenches to cut off all internal and external communication. Whether they strike the reinforcements or maintain a prolonged siege, no matter how much grain there is, there will always be a day when it runs out. An isolated city ultimately cannot be held. Dalinghe will soon serve as clear proof." As Chen Xin spoke, he added silently in his heart, "and so will the Song-Jin campaign."

"My lord is right. Without any field combat capability, even the strongest cannons and fortified cities will fall one day. No matter how much grain there is, there will be a day when it is exhausted. Huang Taiji's method of attacking cities is a clumsy method, but it is also an effective method. One can imagine he will continue to use this clumsy method," Dai Zhenggang agreed.

"Had my lord not set the principle of advocating field combat when our Shandong Army was first established, how could our Shandong Army have today's achievements? It is all due to my lord's far-sighted planning," Song Wenxian's flattery was perfectly timed.

Chen Xin smiled slightly. "If a clumsy method is effective, then it is not a clumsy method. When we employ strategy, we should also consider this. Everyone, remember this." All present nodded in agreement.

Zheng Sanhu scratched his head, raised his hand, and asked: "My lord, this clumsy method is just digging trenches to starve people out. It sounds simple, but it's truly hard to deal with. How exactly can it be broken?"

Chen Xin was just waiting for someone to play the straight man. Zheng Sanhu's question came at the perfect moment. Chen Xin smiled and gestured for him to put his hand down. "To break this method, we must speak of our taking over Lushun and capturing Jinzhou this time."

He had taken a large detour, outlining the entire strategic background of Liaodong, before finally arriving at today's main topic.

Chen Xin slapped the location of Lushun. "For our Wendeng Camp, Lushun is the Tianyuan point on the Liaodong chessboard. Holding Lushun allows us to link southern Liaodong, Shanhai, Korea, Dongjiang, and Deng-Lai. To the north, it threatens the Jianzhou bandits in southern Liaodong; to the south, it controls the Liao Sea; to the west, it connects with Guan-Ning; to the east, it links with Korea and Dongjiang. Lushun also has the advantage of being coastal; the Jianzhou bandits cannot starve us out. As long as Lushun is in our hands, we can gradually increase our military strength in southern Liaodong. Once Dongjiang also recovers to the posture it had during the Tianqi years, the Jianzhou bandits can forget about having a peaceful rear. The Jianzhou bandits' strategic advantage will be completely lost, and their method of besieging cities will no longer be sustainable. This is likewise strategy altering tactics."

Zheng Sanhu's face showed excitement, and he asked again at just the right moment: "My lord, if Lushun is so important, then what about Jinzhou?"

"Jinzhou controls the Jinzhou Isthmus and can serve as a shield for Lushun. We can then establish military farms and raise troops along the route. But for the immediate present, Jinzhou must be defended, yet it is not something that cannot be abandoned. This is because our Wendeng Camp's strength has not yet reached the point where we can resist the full Jianzhou army alone. Jinzhou does not have the advantage of being coastal. If we deploy too many troops there, the Jianzhou cavalry can arrive extremely quickly, and we would not be able to withdraw in haste, turning it into another Dalinghe. Jinzhou can only be treated as an empty feint, not a solid commitment, to avoid a decisive battle or major engagement. From this, we can deduce the situation with Fuzhou. Fuzhou is at its closest thirty-five li from the sea. In the short term, it absolutely cannot be held. Taking it brings no benefit, and we would easily be trapped by the enemy. It is not something our current strength can seize. Therefore, this Fuzhou operation is canceled."

Dai Zhenggang frowned and asked: "My lord, if we abandon Jinzhou, and the Jianzhou bandits station troops to defend it, it will be difficult for us to sally out."

Liu Pojun interjected in reply: "If the Jianzhou bandits defend Jinzhou, it depends on how many troops they leave. The area around Jinzhou is desolate. If they station many troops, they will need to transport grain from elsewhere, which is also a heavy burden. If they station few troops, they cannot withstand our strong assaults. It would still serve as a pinning force."

Chen Xin smiled and nodded: "At that point, for every ten men our camp deploys at Lushun, the Jianzhou bandits will have to deploy five more at Jinzhou. We have the convenience of transporting grain by sea, but the Jianzhou bandits do not. For them to firmly hold Jinzhou would come at no small cost; it would likewise be a form of pinning. Moreover, with Lushun as our foothold, we can always suddenly reinforce from Deng-Lai and, before the Jianzhou bandits can react, retake Jinzhou. That would give Huang Taiji some heartache. After repeating this a few times, the Later Jin would have no choice but to abandon Jinzhou."

Zheng Sanhu grinned: "My lord's method is also a kind of, uh, whatchamacallit."

"A clumsy method." Chen Xin also smiled. "And also an effective method. Therefore, for the defense of Jinzhou, I will primarily assign cavalry. All warhorses captured this year will be given to the cavalry battalion, expanding it to seven hundred. In addition, a new mounted infantry company headquarters will be formed using mixed-breed horses, temporarily placed under the cavalry battalion's jurisdiction. Guobin, you will garrison Jinzhou. The Jianzhou bandits have been on campaign for half a year this year; in the short term, they should lack the strength to launch a major attack on Jinzhou. You must seize the time to train these two cavalry units well."

"This subordinate obeys the order," Zhu Guobin loudly acknowledged. After thinking for a moment, he still pressed further: "This subordinate roughly understands my lord's overall strategy for southern Liaodong, but it is still slightly vague. May I ask my lord to clarify further?"

"Only when we have the strength to recover all of Liaodong can we recover the four southern garrisons. With our current strength, we need not be concerned with the temporary gain or loss of Fuzhou and Jinzhou. Our short-term objective is to expand Lushun and draw the Jianzhou bandits into deploying forces in southern Liaodong equal to our own, creating a back-and-forth war of attrition. For us, it is training our troops; for the Jianzhou bandits, it is a drain on their resources. We will strive to accumulate many small victories into a local advantage, forcing the Jianzhou bandits to pull their defensive line back. This is our overall strategy for southern Liaodong."